François on SharePoint, Office 365 and more technologieshttps://sharepointfrancois.com
Productivity using Cloud technology, online and mobile toolsWed, 22 May 2019 11:53:52 +0000en
hourly
1 http://wordpress.com/https://sharepointfrancois.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/city-half.jpg?w=32François on SharePoint, Office 365 and more technologieshttps://sharepointfrancois.com
3232Thank you for the #SharePoint Virtual Summit / SharePoint Conference 2019 Highlights #SPC19 – Views from Veroniquehttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/05/22/thank-you-for-the-sharepoint-virtual-summit-sharepoint-conference-2019-highlights-spc19-views-from-veronique/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/05/22/thank-you-for-the-sharepoint-virtual-summit-sharepoint-conference-2019-highlights-spc19-views-from-veronique/#respondWed, 22 May 2019 11:52:02 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/05/22/thank-you-for-the-sharepoint-virtual-summit-sharepoint-conference-2019-highlights-spc19-views-from-veronique/In this fast pace world, I am so greatful for a blog post like this one that gives the highlights. Sooo exciting all these new features!

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/05/22/thank-you-for-the-sharepoint-virtual-summit-sharepoint-conference-2019-highlights-spc19-views-from-veronique/feed/0FrançoisTry not to kill a SharePoint deployment before it startshttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/04/30/dont-kill-your-sharepoint-deployment/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/04/30/dont-kill-your-sharepoint-deployment/#commentsTue, 30 Apr 2019 18:31:29 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1282I also thought of another title for this blog post like “Trying to build the roof before the wall?”.

Not sure what I am referring to? Keep reading.

SharePoint is huge and SharePoint Online is a even bigger beast! Agreed?

Over the past few weeks I have been training users in an international organisation, they have just released their Office 365 tenant to the whole organisation and realised that they need to show the users how to actually use it ;-).

This is not even the point of this post, as this happens quite often at the moment, unfortunately we are quite used that customers get a professional in when it’s nearly too late.

During the training preparation, I have been told that users do “not have the time to get trained”, but that “they have lots of appetite for advanced features”. Not knowing quite sure what this meant but confident that the content may be customised, we agreed on several condensed overview of 1.5 hour per group.

The reality was just as expected: 95% of the training attendees never opened the Office 365. So I adapted the training during the short training, being more like a coach on what they can do with SharePoint and the tools in Office 365.

Here is my shout-out and the reason behind this blog’s title:

Having spent enough time with the business users of the various departments, it turned out that all of them would have been very keen to work on a content strategy, data migration plan, departmental site layout if IT had approached them.

Instead, they are now seeing SharePoint as yet another tool that is being imposed at them. A lot of them are not so keen on this idea, and already thinking to not use it since they still have access to the to-be-retired-one-day other cloud storage.

Basically, a big failure of internal communication.

So please! please! Get your users on-board before you even release anything. SharePoint Adoption is a major key to success.

Speak to your comms department.. a lot! IT and Comms need to be best friends as one provides the structure, the other will provide the content.

Interview and get a genuine interest in how the other teams work, like HR and Ops … It will be easier to offer them solutions that they didn’t think about later.

Let users know that their data will have to be migrated and organise workshops to show them how the migration will work and when you will need their input. This will make the user valued and responsible and it will pay back in the long term.

Or again and obviously, call the professional SharePoint guy early in your deployment project. (hang on… when there is such project plan!;-)

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/04/30/dont-kill-your-sharepoint-deployment/feed/1image-1FrançoisHow to show technology know-how without boring usershttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/08/show-tell/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/08/show-tell/#respondFri, 08 Mar 2019 17:21:27 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1273With technology evolving all the time. Users are often feeling behind with technology.

Class training is still one of the best way to learn anything new, since it’s an intense, immersive experience and one on one or group sharing opportunity to exchange with trainer and trainees on the same subject.

I also recommend my clients having regular “touch-base” with the users to show them bite-sized tips and tricks that could be useful for their daily job with computer (and specifically SharePoint and Office 365).

I often organise

breakfast & lunch show & tell, a 30 min session where people turn up to grab a bite and learn something new

open door IT clinics, where all users of the same floor are invited to come and ask questions, get their issues looked at and generally get some technical help.

and of course, webcam and screen-sharing coaching sessions where they can learn as I guide them.

Do not leave your users unattended!

Or they will find other way with other systems than the one you gave them.

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/08/show-tell/feed/0FrançoisCapturing the data is key in Business Intelligencehttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/07/capturing-the-data-is-key-in-business-intelligence/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/07/capturing-the-data-is-key-in-business-intelligence/#respondThu, 07 Mar 2019 10:34:02 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1267Business Intelligence (BI) serves to help organisations make better business decisions. Whatever the tool used to produced these, how about getting the data source right in the first place?

Question to ask yourself:

Is this data entered manually by different users / departments?

Are they using the same format or different one?

How much work is involved to transpose the data?

Can I uniform the capture of that data so that every users and department provide figures the same way?

Can I automate the capture of this data?

If the responses are mainly true, then you need to start thinking toward content automation. Providing a set of online forms, online spreadsheet or database in your business is a small investment for the result that true BI reports will highlight to managing your business.

Contact me if you want to find out more about developing forms, flow and BI in your business.

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/07/capturing-the-data-is-key-in-business-intelligence/feed/0story bi - Make your data speakFrançoisDiversity & Inclusion in large organisations is happeninghttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/02/diversity-and-inclusion/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/02/diversity-and-inclusion/#respondSat, 02 Mar 2019 16:14:51 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1257This week, I attended Microsoft Ignite | The Tour, where I learnt some technical stuff and caught-up with some old friends of the “SharePoint community” which was great.

But I was also positively impressed by how Microsoft has really improved in welcoming diversity over the years. The day after I attended an evening panel at SAP organised by #InterTech with the theme “Purpose, Innovation and Inclusion” again.

So, yes I was quite surprised to see a few “Diversity & Tech” sessions in the middle the various technical sessions. Needless to say that when I attended my first conference back in 2007, there was no such topic being openly discussed.

There were so many great sessions running at the same time that I only managed to attend one of these D&I and was truly impressed!

Paula Lender-Swain was presenting the work from the group she is chairing as a volunteering position called “GLEAM”, which stands for the Global LGBTQ+ Employees and Allies at Microsoft employee resource group. Taken from Microsoft site, “GLEAM works to drive LGBTQ+-inclusive changes to our company policies with executive leadership. GLEAM provides support, advocacy, networking opportunities, external outreach to community non-profits, and promotes educational activities within Microsoft to raise awareness about the LGBTQ+ community and increase ally engagement. “

Of course, very “Microsoft’s marketing” the presentation was showing how amazing it is to be an employee of Microsoft as they can feel accepted for who they are. And I guess I was still a bit suspicious of the “sales pitch” versus reality or maybe thinking that Microsoft D&I is an isolated case.

As said, the day after I then attended a panel at Intertech, with a representation of D&I board members from SAP Concur, Vodafone, EY Ernst & Young and Cap Gemini.

This time my suspicion: are large corporations really improving their glocal policy towards Diversity and Inclusion disappeared greatly. I can see now that there is a genuine movement in this direction. Companies have realised that a talent who is themselves in the workplace is a talent happy and who is more likely to stay and even attract others to join.

They ALL have a SharePoint site dedicated to D&I or specifically LGBTQ+ and friends (allies) so that communities within the business can form and discuss.

Myself have never had any issues being myself in the workplace; since I work for different customers and work environments I just do not get involved much in internal politics or gossips and if I feel that a customer is not receptive to diversity then I move on.

Being “external” to these large organisations that I sometimes meet, I must have been naive and not realise that they have also evolved so that was my positive realisation of the week!

It is quite rare that I use my “technical blog” to write about “anything else“, and I know that public comments here may not always be easy for some, so send me a message if you feel that the Microsoft world is or isnot that open, and if you have experienced discrimination in the workplace and how you dealt with it.

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/03/02/diversity-and-inclusion/feed/0Microsoft GLEAM LGBTQ Employee groupFrançoisShould users be given full freedom to use any features without much control and documentation?https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/25/should-users-be-given-full-freedom-to-use-any-features-without-much-control-and-documentation/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/25/should-users-be-given-full-freedom-to-use-any-features-without-much-control-and-documentation/#commentsMon, 25 Feb 2019 11:39:00 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1248Greg Zelfond aka. SharePointMaven.com is one of the SharePoint people I read because I concur with a lot of what he writes.

His latest writing: “(10) best way to implement SharePoint in a large organization” is all about why Top-down requirements won’t work, why long business requirements, why complicated architecture is no longer relevant, forget about “custom branding” (my favourite!), avoid red-taping everything (long processes/approvals to follow)

Pay attention to Tip #5: move in “Celebrities” first. A clever tip!

All sounding really good, including the “Tip #10 just do it” which I am in favour too since I believe that locking down features and capability is contradictory to innovation and productivity.

I also agree with Veronique Palmer’s post where she adds that we still need some planning, documenting and getting the strategy and governance signed off.

Without a level of documentation, the next VIP user will update a whole intranet landing page and decide that his version is the only right one. And the next user and so on.

Another caveat I would add is that users need to be guided, otherwise the risk is that, with so many tools at their disposal they will not know which one is good for what and will waste too much time on the wrong one.

My conclusion is yes large organisations need to start being more flexible with their SharePoint project requirements, but show presence to their users to help them succeed.

This is why we have created https://365coach.co.uk to provide this guidance via virtual and 1 on 1 technical coaching session.

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/25/should-users-be-given-full-freedom-to-use-any-features-without-much-control-and-documentation/feed/1FrançoisImage result for headless chicken runningLocation details columnhttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/19/location-details-column/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/19/location-details-column/#respondTue, 19 Feb 2019 09:03:42 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1244The [Location] new column in SharePoint Online has been there for a few months and I only used it today, due to old habits.

Make use of it as it is a great time saving not to decompose address details anymore and a much better experience for the user.

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/19/location-details-column/feed/0FrançoisThe new Office icons have landed!https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/16/new-office-icons-have-landed/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/16/new-office-icons-have-landed/#commentsSat, 16 Feb 2019 15:03:03 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1240Announced in November, they have just appeared in our tenant.

Is it visible on yours yet?

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/16/new-office-icons-have-landed/feed/2new-office-icons-are-hereFrançoisThe benefits of the new megamenu navigation for SharePointhttps://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/08/get-mega-value-from-the-new-megamenu-navigation-for-sharepoint-computerworld/
https://sharepointfrancois.com/2019/02/08/get-mega-value-from-the-new-megamenu-navigation-for-sharepoint-computerworld/#respondFri, 08 Feb 2019 10:11:40 +0000http://sharepointfrancois.com/?p=1233Great explanation of the new “mega menus” that can have been added to SharePoint Communication site and Hub.

All the intranets that were restricted in the maximum number of links for UX reasons may now benefit from it, but plan it well!

I saw more than once this year: a user created an Office 365 Group called “John – Personal” so that he can store his own files and not share the site with anyone.

It’s so easy to create a site (or office 365 group & team) nowadays that it is common practice.

Now, what happens when you leave the business or take other responsibilities? Your site doesn’t follow you to the new department or gets deleted automatically after your leave.

Moreover, when – finally – the content management needs to be analysed and re-organised (as I do all the time for clients), we would put a big “question mark” next to any personal site and the MD of the business will likely give us the go-ahead to delete it (aouch !)

Why this happened?

The justification given is that “we have been told not to use OneDrive”.

Really...!?

More likely these reasons:

Told not to use OneDrive personal, for work but OneDrive for Business is ok”, except that it was misunderstood

Told not to use OneDrive for final version/company documents that we sent to clients, except that it was misunderstood

and finally, this one was SOOOOO true: OneDrive Sync is %$&£ !!! (replace with a swear word!)

That last one was VERY true, but since September 2017 the Sync client has improved so much that it actually works! And it is even the same for SharePoint libraries, with the same name : “OneDrive sync” just to confuse everyone.

So, go for it! Use your OneDrive for Business to store your temporary files, files that you think colleagues shouldn’t have access such as “work in progress” and drafts.

But don’t use SharePoint site just for 1 user. It’s like “giving jam to pigs” (French expression, may be quite unrelated actually ;-)

Merry Christmas !

(now I go back moving some SharePoint content back into people's OneDrive!)

]]>https://sharepointfrancois.com/2018/12/21/personal-files-in-your-sharepoint-noooooo/feed/0FrançoisImage result for what did I do